Dessert

7 West 32nd Street (btwn. 5th & 6th Aves.)
(212)695-9631
Hours of Operation: 7 days a week, 11 AM - 11PM daily
NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Though curiously under wraps, I managed to coax owner Daihwan Choi into divulging that the medium (8 oz.) is 200 calories.  All of the yogurt here is non-fat, but carbs have yet to be disclosed.
INSIDE SCOOP: Pinkberry hopes to open locations on the UES (82nd & 2nd Ave.), Nolita (Prince & Mulberry), and Meatpacking (20th St. & 8th Ave.).
INSIDE SECRET: There's an off-the-menu mochi topping for in-the-know yogurt addicts or bi-coastal Pinkberry loyalists.
PRICES:
Original flavor - Small, $2.95, M $3.95, & L $6.45
Green Tea flavor - Small $3.90, M $ 4.95, & L $8.25
One topping is an additional $.95, $1.50 for three toppings

Still reeling from the disappointment of yesterday's delayed opening, I trekked back to Pinkberry at 12 PM to take my proper place in what I anticipated to be a female frenzied line, eager to sample NYC's newest yogurt goods.  With no gaggle of girls in sight, I feared for the worst - a closed Pinkberry.  Happily, I was wrong.  The anti-Tasti-D-Lite, this modern yogurt shop, a Philippe Starck design, is outfitted with white light fixtures that mimic swirls of yogurt, colored plastic chairs & stools, high white ceilings & walls and under-lit counters.   With four tables (four chairs at each) & and six counter seats, a yogurt binge might possibly be an unequivocally civilized and fashionable affair.

Unlike the chemical-enhanced, sugar-free, and virtually carb-less frozen treats of late, Pinkberry banks exclusively on two all-natural flavors (no kahlua n cream or oreo peanut butter here), just original (plain) & green tea (with Japanese green tea powder).  That's just the foundation, but Pinkberry encourages customers to add fresh fruit toppings (kiwi, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry), or dried toppings (cereals, yogurt chips, nuts).   There's even fresh-fruit smoothies and yogurt ices (ice, syrup,yogurt & fresh fruit) to boot.

Seeing as I'd invested so much time and emotional energy in anxious anticipation of the opening, I sampled both yogurt flavors - Original with Cap'n Crunch, graham cracker crumbs & chocolate chips, as well as the Green Tea with kiwi, blackberries, raspberries and the off-the-menu mochi balls.   

With Tasti-D-Lite and Cremalita as my frame of references, both Pinkberry flavors were definitively icier and much less creamy than its predecessors.  In a league of its own, Pinkberry has a distinctively natural essence - a tangy, gently sour flavor reminiscient of natural frozen yogurt (the real stuff) - with just enough sweetness to still satisfy a sugar fix.  While some green tea frozen desserts tend to be overbearing or leave a bitter aftertaste, this one is mild, but notably sweeter than the original flavor.  As for the fruit that topped it, it was extremely fresh, especially the blackberries, a perfect late-breakfast alternative.  Add a little cocoa pebbles and you've got frozen cereal.  If I had to pick between them (both are delicious), I'd opt for the original with cap'n crunch, but I've always had a thing for the captain.  Lest I forget to mention the mochi topping, a gummy, Japanese version of cookie dough without chocolate chips, so addictive I  was compelled to order an extra cup of just mochi. 

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl

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458 Ninth Ave. (btwn. 35th & 36th Sts.)
(212)643-1200

VIBE: Cafeteria cool
OCCASION: Breakfast or your lunch break
GO WITH: Co-workers or go it alone
DON'T MISS DISH: Beef Burger
DON'T BOTHER DISH: Fresh squeezed lemon Fizz
PRICE: under $ 10
INSIDE SCOOP: Will deliver anywhere in the
city if you pay the cab fare
HOURS: Monday-Saturday, 8-9 PM, Sat. & Sun. 10-9 PM
RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 6
FINAL WORD: What could be better?

You'll think you've died and gone to heaven at Burgers & Cupcakes if only it weren't in Hell's Kitchen with a window view of Lincoln Tunnel traffic.  This simple, but perky cafeteria-style luncheonette with pink & brown painted walls invites you to rediscover your inner child, bringing you back to a time of blissful naivete when calories and carbs didn't matter.  I took the leap of faith, making the trek to Mitchell London's (of catering fame) newest Ninth Avenue eatery where he cleverly pairs burgers & cupcakes, all but resolving the universal conflict between men and women negotiating over where the hell to eat. 

The curiously meatball-shaped burgers are dressed any way you want them - grilled mushrooms, avocado, blue cheese, vegetarian chili, pizza and on and on.  I got mine with an unusually soft goat cheese and turkey bacon.  While other burger joints press their burgers against a grated grill numerous times with a spatula (letting the juices tragically escape), Burgers & Cupcakes cooks their chuck sirloins on a flat grill and press them all but once to make for a crunchy outside, yet remarkably juicy inside.  It arrived at the table in a classically wrapped in paper, served in a basket with lettuce, tomato and a pickle. 

If beef's not your game, they also serve non-beef burgers - veggie, turkey, salmon, lemon grilled chicken and portobella mushroom all made fresh daily.  Co-owner Nance Avigligiano told me they get a whole salmon delivered every morning, then cut it up and grill it right on the premises.  I ordered added fresh avocado and pepper jack cheese to a flavorful lemon grilled chicken, a tasty combination.  Don't skip the crispy and fresh cut french fries, skins and all, reminding me of the salty Boardwalk fries of my youth.  I would skip the fresh squeezed lemon fizz, which tasted like a club soda with a squirt of bottled lemon juice. 

The cupcakes are ironically more "grown up" than your typical Magnolia-esque cupcake with sky high butter frosting.  Mitchell London churns out a denser cupcake topped off with a thin coat of frosting.  Call me a frosting fanatic, but the vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting didn't live up to my sugar-coated expectations.  Personally, I'd go with the carrot cupcake, a moist cake decorated with a luscious cream cheese frosting and capped off with shredded coconut. 

Only on my way out did I learn that they'll deliver anywhere in Manhattan (just pick up the taxi's tab), perfect for big office lunch orders.  Burgers & Cupcakes also serves breakfast - eggs, omelets, fresh-baked pastries & pancakes.  Next time, I'll send a car for my burger & fries.  Why shouldn't my lunch get to ride in style, too?

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl

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